Do you follow the Black Friday ads?

Oct 14, 2012 5:15 AM

Yes, they have started releasing the Black Friday ads already. Harbor Freight was first as usual. Do you think there is an advantage to releasing them so early? Do they affect your shopping on that day?

Top Answers

WSJ put out an article about a week ago and, statistically speaking, showed that there are no real sales anymore (aside from the limited supply of door busters to drive traffic into the store). BF weekend accounts for as much as 1/5 of revenue made by some retailers and much of this isn't only quantity driven but value driven as well (many items are actually priced significantly higher than the norm). The only item that was tracked in the article over the course of several years that showed to be any real deal was the xbox.

I usually go later in the day for the non-doorbuster sales. Things like linens and DVDs. You can still get great deals, but those are usually stocked well enough that there's really no rush to get to them.

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I generally check out the ads but rarely buy too much on Black Friday.
I get up and go to Half Price Books for their sale. In the past it's been 20% off everything from 7am-11am. Last year it was a coupon for 40% off one item. They also give out reusable bags with $5 gift cards (and sometimes a few other little goodies) to the first 100 adults through the door. On bag has a $100 gift card. I usually get there around 6:30 or so and have always gotten a bag. Often they have coffee and muffins or cookies for people waiting in line. Some of the staff comes out and chats. They're friendly and it's all very civilized in the line. I mean, it is a used book store.
Afterwards I sometimes go to a few other stores if there's something that I want that's really a deal. DVDs can usually be had for good prices. But I don't often buy too much. Mostly I shop the earlier sales or buy things online.

I usually go later in the day for the non-doorbuster sales. Things like linens and DVDs. You can still get great deals, but those are usually stocked well enough that there's really no rush to get to them.

When I was kid, I was fascinated by the black friday sales, but my mom hated shopping so we never went. Now, I spend Thanksgiving with my inlaws, who had a tradition of going out at some point in time during the day. My shopaholic nature turned it into a family holiday so most of the family gets up when the earliest store opens and waits in line for the doorbusters. I'm the only one that looks at the flyers ahead of time online - everyone else is an amateur shopper. I agree, the sales lately have been hardly sales at all. I generally only do it for the fun of spending time with my family. We watch to see how crazy people get in the small town shopping centers we shop.

I only do the online sales. There are some good limited-quantity "door buster" sales available...you've just got to keep a list of who is selling what and what time their items go on sale, then purchase fast before they're gone. I've gotten some of the same crazy deals that people wait in line overnight for (and they usually go home empty-handed).

There's no way I'd go shopping in the real world that weekend...there are way too many crazy people out there.

I second the recommendation of bfads.net, that's been my primary resource for many years.

WSJ put out an article about a week ago and, statistically speaking, showed that there are no real sales anymore (aside from the limited supply of door busters to drive traffic into the store). BF weekend accounts for as much as 1/5 of revenue made by some retailers and much of this isn't only quantity driven but value driven as well (many items are actually priced significantly higher than the norm). The only item that was tracked in the article over the course of several years that showed to be any real deal was the xbox.

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